Police explain failure to foil Western Togoland Independence day declared just 100m from police training school

The Ghana Police service says the meeting held by the Homeland Study Group Foundation to declare Western Togoland an Independent state was disguised as a funeral or social gathering.

Leadership of the group met on Saturday, November 16, 2019 to declare the Western Togoland, comprising Volta, Oti Regions and parts of northern Ghana as an independent state.

Multiple sources say the gathering was held some 100 meters away from the Regional Police Training School.

Some persons have argued it was impossible for the Volta regional police command to have said they had no idea of the incident considering the fact that it was being streamed on social media.

Public Relations Officer of the Volta Regional Police Command, Corporal Prince Dogbatse, in an interview with Accra based Citi FM said they did not give the gathering their attention because the meeting was disguised.

“…What happened was that people gathered as though they were going to perform funeral rites or any program of no security interest and it was only later that we heard reports that people published some pieces of videos on social media telling the world that a certain section of the Region has declared independence.”

He maintained that their failure to identify and foil the declaration does not mean that they have failed in the discharge of their duties.

“It is not to suggest that we are not on top of our job in the region. Hitherto, you would have seen the said group display paraphernalia, that is not what happened on the day and so we are on the ground and monitoring the situation. We have made some arrests and we will still arrest some more people who were engaged in this criminal act. I can tell you on authority that the region is very safe and peaceful”.

Independence day declaration 

The Homeland Study Group Foundation, (HSGF), a secessionist group which wants to separate itself from Ghana to become an independent state on Saturday, November 16,2019 declared its Independence Day.

Leader of the Separatist movement, Charles Komi Kudzordzi alias Papavi Hogbedetor who is believed to be in his 80s made the declaration at a public gathering in Ho.

Addressing his members in the native Ewe language, Papavi Hogbedetor recounted their struggles to restore the independence of the pre-independence Western Togoland territory.

Citing the recent omission of roads in the Volta Region from the Critical Roads list in the 2020 budget which was presented by the finance minister, Papa Hogbedetor said” We’ve all witnessed what happened recently when we (Volta Region) were forgotten by the government in its budget. Can a parent forget about their children? We’re not their children, so they have forgotten about us.”

“From midnight of November 16, 2019, entering into Sunday, November 17, 2019, we’re now Western Togoland state” the leader of the separatist movement said whiles declaring the ‘Western Togo Land’ independent.

Some members of the group took to their facebook pages to broadcast the event live.

The event took place at the former premises of Unity Rural Bank which is some 100 meters away from the Ho Police training school.

Arrest

Police in the Volta region moved in to arrest some members of the separatist group days after the declaration was made.

This was after Government issued a statement assuring that Ghana has not ceded any part of its territory to any person or group of persons.

About eleven (11) persons have been arrested whiles police is on a manhunt for leader of the group, Charles Komi Kudzordzi alias Papavi Hogbedetor.

Five members of the group who were arrested have been remanded on charges of treason felony after being arraigned at the Ho District court on Wednesday.

They are Peter Godfriend Edem, Mkpe Tornyi Kudjo and Kofi Agbeko.

The rest are Agbenyega Akudzia, and Ibrahim Tofa.

They are expected to reappear in court on December 4, 2019.
This is however not he first time some members of the group have been arrested.

In May, 2019, thirty members including leader of the group, Charles Komi Kudzordzi were arrested over plans to declare Independence day.